What's Up Wednesday: Author Kelly Rey (GIVEAWAY)

So, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with my new What's up Wednesday feature.  Basically, what's been up is that I've been on the road for the entire month of July. Well, that and getting bitten by zombies (check out my FB page for details on that).  Seriously.

BUT...fear not!  I'm back and I brought a friend along with me this week. 

Meet friend and sister author Kelly Rey and be entered to win a PRIZE...

Thanks to everyone for stopping by, and especially thanks to Kerri for inviting me to be part of What’s Up Wednesday. I’d love to hear from you, so if you have room on your to-do list for one more thing, leave me a comment! And as always, from my heart, thanks to you for reading the Jamie Winters mysteries.

Now let’s peek behind the curtain.

When and why did you begin writing?

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been an avid reader and a writer. My grandmother was a writer, as well, and I remember she filled composition books with ghost stories. (That probably explains my fear of the basement.)  I don’t have a clear answer for why I began writing other than to say it was just part of me. I always seemed to have characters in my head and they were always doing various things, and I started writing those things down, binding the finished products with ribbon or staples and giving them a title. Sometimes I’d even illustrate the stories, but I don’t want to talk about that.

What book are you reading now?

I usually have at least two books going simultaneously, and right now my two are Mary Kay Andrews’ Spring Fever and Eoin Colfer’s Plugged.  I’d recommend them both!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to read and I also practice qigong, work out, go for walks and to concerts and sporting events and movies, play with Cody and Benny, our dogs, and Max, the Killer Lovebird. Don’t let the Lovebird part fool you. He’s ill-tempered most of the day. Oh, and I spend time with my husband. Probably should’ve put that first.

What was your first reaction when you found out that you were going to be published?

Disbelief. Soaring excitement. And a rush of humility because it’s such an incredible privilege.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

A writer! I swear it’s true.  I knew it at such an early age, I was spared the angst of having no answer when someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up.

If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?

A Work in Progress. The older I get, the more I realize how little I know, and honestly, I’m enjoying the change in perspective.  It takes a lot of weight off your shoulders to realize the world doesn’t revolve around you.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Yes, and I’m looking here at aspiring writers when I say Do Not Quit. If it’s in your heart to write, write. Don’t worry about genre or what people might say. Write what you want to write, and read broadly, because every book teaches you something. I love motivational sayings, so this seems like a good place to share a few. 

Emerson said “Give all that you have, for what you keep inside you lose forever.” 

Napoleon Hill said “There are no limitations except those you acknowledge.” 

Steve Jobs said “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition…Everything else is secondary.”   

Life is fleeting. You don’t want to reach its end wondering what might have happened if.  Follow your heart.

What pursuit is in your heart? Leave a comment to this post and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win an autographed copy of Motion for Malice!

 

In Motion for Malice, the second book in the Jamie Winters Mysteries, psychic medium Dorcas Beeber is brash, obnoxious...and dead. Unfortunately for Jamie, she arrives at the psychic's studio for a reading only to find the victim apparently killed by a blow from her own crystal ball. And things only get worse when she suddenly finds herself the prime suspect in the murder. Desperate and running out of time, Jamie and with her landlord's eccentric teenaged niece, Maizy, wade through the pool of disgruntled clients, a family with divided loyalties, a creepy ex-boss, and incriminating news reports to find the real killer...before Jamie's future includes a jail cell! 

Visit KellyReyAuthor.com for details. 

EXCERPT:

Dorcas used to be a cashier at a local Walmart until an unfortunate incident involving a crate of Grape Nuts falling on her head, at which point she apparently saw a vision of dollar signs and began calling herself a psychic.

I glanced down at the crystal ball. For a plain hunk of glass, it wasn’t bad looking. If you stared at it long enough, you could actually see swirls of color and subtle movement deep inside – no, wait. That was Dorcas behind it, impatiently swishing around her flowing robes. That was a relief. 

“I’m not sure -- ” I began.

“I’m getting a vision.” Her gaze drifted to the crystal ball and lingered there, unblinking, for a few seconds. “You have an undesirable in your life. Someone you seek to be rid of. A man.” 

I ran down the list of men in my life. It was a short list, with only Curt Emerson on it, and I definitely didn’t want to be rid of Curt. Curt was a keeper.

“I can’t quite see him clearly…” She frowned at the crystal ball. “He’s dark haired. No, no, he’s a blonde.” 

Good grief.

“His name begins with a D,” she said. “Or perhaps an M.” 

I glanced at Weaver and got another shrug.

“Well.” She looked away, blinking several times. “In time, all will be made clear.” 

“Isn’t she astounding?” Weaver said.

“I’m usually very accurate.” Dorcas shrugged. “But my crystal ball has a crack in it.” 

She could say that again.